Automatic air relief valve



April 23, 1940. J. POE

AUTOMATIC AIR RELIEF VALVE Filed June l5, 1939 PatenredApazs, 1940 I n l y 2,198,291

UNITED STATES .PATENT crier.

AUTOMATIC Am RELIEF VALVEl John Poe, Amarillo, Tex., assigner of one-fourth to Willie F. Turner, Amarillo, Tex.

Application June 13, 1939, Serial No. 278,962

2 Claims. (Cl. IS7-69) This invention relates to air relief valves for no water in the water line. At the side of the water lines, oil lines to refineries, etc., gasoline lateral extension remote from the body III there is lines to and from refineries, etc., gasoline lines provided a tubular member I2. The body I Il is `on automobiles, tractors and other engines for connected to the tubular member l2 at its lower `5 the purpose of preventing what is known as end through a passage I3 and at its upper end 5 vapor lock. through a pipe I4 so that there is communica- However, instead of repeating all the uses to tion both above and below the member III and which this invention may be put, in the followthe member I2 by suitable passages. The passage ing specification, it will be described and claimed It is vertically extending for purposes which will as connected in a water line, the term Water in be presently understood. lo this connection being understood to include all On top of the member lII is a cover plate I5 liquids in which air may be entrained or from secured to the upper end of the member Il) by which vapor may arise. bolts IS, a gasket I'I being provided between the In all water lines there is a certain amount of body `Ill and the cover plate I5 in order to pr,e

air entrained in the water, which, at the upper vent escape of vair at this place. 15 portions or peaks of said lines, collects and in- A float I8 is mountedin the body II) and alterferes with the Ilow of Water through such ways contains a `certain amount of air. The lines. quantity of `air in this float may be regulated One important object of this invention is to through the nipple I9. In other words, the cover automatically release, from the water line, air so plate may be taken off when required, and an 20 collected. I l air pump or the like be connected to the nipple A second `important object of the invention is I I9 after removing the cap ZII so that .as much air to provide automatic means whereby, inaccordas may be desired may be supplied to the oat ance with the amount of air collected, air will be I8. The lower end of this float is provided with released so that the water flow may continue unports 2l whereby water may be admitted to the 25 interrupted. float or expelled therefrom in accordance with A third important object of the invention is the quantity of air in the upper part of the float. "to provide novel means for regulating the escape At the center of the lower part of the float there of air. is provided a boss` 22 whereto is pivoted the A fourth important object of the invention is longer yarm 2.3 of a lever having a shorter arm 30 to provide a novel valve arrangement for con- 2li, a pivot 25 carried in the sides of the portrolling the escape of air. tion I I supporting this lever for tilting move- With the above and other objects in View, the ment. The extremity of the shorter arm of the invention consists in general of certain novel lever is pivoted at 26 to a valve rod 2l which exdetails of construction and combinations of parts tends up through` the tubular member I2 and 35 hereinafter fully described, illustrated in one carries at its upper end a valve member indicated form in the accompanying drawing, and parin general at 28. This `valve member Z8, in the ticularly pointed out in the appended claims. form here shown is moveable to close or open,

In the accompanying drawing like characters under the required circumstances the upper end of reference indicate like parts in the appended of themember I2 which may be called the air 40 views, and: outlet member. As here shown the valve member Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of the 28 is provided with a plate 29 having a gasket device adapted to be applied to any high point 30 therebeneathV and having an adjusting nut or peak of a water line. 3l whereby the valve member is held in desired Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken position on the valve stem 2l. 'Ihe valve mem- 5 on the median parallel line of Figure 1. ber itself consists of a cylindrical body 32 notched Figure 3 is an enlarged section of the valve as at 33 at its upper part so that when these arrangement shown in Figure 2. notches rise above the member I2 they extend Figure 4 is a modied section of thelower communication, through the pipe I4 with the uppart of Figure 2. per part of the body I0, such upper part forming 50 In the construction of the apparatus herein an air chamber 34. The entire device has a botshown there is provided a hollow cylindrical body tom wall 35 and in the form shown in Figures 1 III having a lateral extension I I, and provided and 2, a water inlet pipe or nipple, adapted to with a nipple or valve Illa for admission of air be connected to the water line, opens directly beto permit drainage of the body III When there is neath the lloat I8 but there is a splash plate 31 65 secured to the bottom by legs 38 so that water entering the passage 3B willnot directly affect the float. However, in the form shown in Figure 4 a connection 39 may be made for connecting the device to the water line so that the water entering this connection, adjacent the tubular member I2, will not directly affect the float.

Now in operation we may suppose that this device is connected to the peak of a rise in the water line, and that water with entrained air enters through the connection 36 or the connection 39. The quantity of air in the float I8 may be supposed to bey adjusted to cause this' float to conform to the pressurev such as would be produced in the water line as sufficient to raise the water to the line 4l] of Figure 2. That is the air in the float would be regulated under these conditions to normally come down to the water line 4| due to water flowing through the ports 2|. We may now consider that there has been an accumulation of air above the .normal linev 40 andthis of course will effect depreciation of the float I8. Upon this effect being obtained then the float will naturally fall so that the lever 23 will be tilted downwardly and the arm 24 will be tilted upwardly. Thereupon the valve stem 2l will raise the valve 28 and eect opening of the ports 33 by raising these ports above the upper end of the tubular member l2. When this is done air will escape from the chamber 34 through the pipe hi and pass into the outer air. Theresult of this will` be that the accumulated air. above the Ywater line 40 will have its pressuredecreasedand the oat i8 will rise so as to actuate the lever to move the valve 28 downwardly and thus prevent any further outflow of air untilthe conditions are again reversed.

There has thus been provided` a simple and efficient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that many minor changes may be made in the form and construction of this invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all forms which may properly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the kind described, a body having a float chamber therein and provided with means for communication with a water line beneath said float chamber, a oat mounted in said float chamber to rise and fall in accordance with the water level therein, an outlet tube connected with said float chamber and communieating therewith at the top and bottom thereof, a lever pivoted intermediately its ends and having one end connected to the lower side of the float, a valve at the outlet end of said tube, and

a valve stem extending through said tube and connecting the remaining end of said lever with the valve atrthe outlet end of said tube.

2. In a device of the kind described, a cylindrical hollow body having its axis vertical, a chamber extending outwardly from the lower part of the bodyand vertically converging outwardly from the body to form a passage, an outlet tube extending yvertically upward from the outer end of said chamber, a tubular member connecting the spaces at the upper ends of said body and outlet tube', a vertically disposed hollow cylinder mounted in said body to constitute a oat, said body having a bottom provided with an inlet axially aligned below said float, a baffle supported on the bottom in upwardly spaced parallel relation thereto, a lever having one end pivoted to the lower end of the float and pivoted intermediate its ends in said passage, the remaining end of said lever terminating below the outlet tube, a vertically movable koutlet valve at the upper end of the outlet tube, and a rod connecting said valve and the last mentioned` end of thelever. l

JOHN POE. 

